All bodily movement, including exercise, can be considered as including two broad types of activities; static and dynamic. Static exercise may be generally considered as effort without movement, i.e., the development of a relatively large intramuscular force with little or no change in muscle length, and therefore without significant joint movement. Static exercise is also known as isometric exercise. Dynamic exercise involves changes in muscle length, and therefore joint movement, caused by muscle contractions developing a relatively small intramuscular force. The classifications are to be distinguished from the terms aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which describe the energy metabolism employed in a given exercise, rather than the motion, or lack of motion, produced.
In practical application, these two types of exercise represent the opposite ends of a continuum of movement, with most physical activity combining aspects of both static and dynamic exercise. As will be described below, the present invention includes a Static-Dynamic exercise apparatus, wherein a static exercise is rapidly converted to and continued as a dynamic exercise.